Hippo Director's Zoo Diary

1981 1h 15m JA

🤯

8.7

MASTERPIECE

★8.7TMDB · 3

AnimationTV MovieDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Aging zoo keeper Nishiyama Toshio acquires two young trainees: short-tempered former chef Takeshi Ishizawa and gentle vet Ichiro Hasegawa. Both are surprised by the difficulties they face in a deceptively easy job but persevere through troubles such as an escaped pelican, a dying camel, and the birth of a hippo.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Fuyumi Shiraishi
マサル(動物好きの少年)
Eiko Masuyama
マサルの母
Nagai Ichirou
上野動物園園長
Joji Yanami
大久保
Mugihito
太田
Noriko Tsukase
女性飼育係
Masaharu Sato
河原
Hiroshi Otake
石沢猛(新人飼育係,元コック)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masayuki Akehi
Writers: Ryuzo Nakanishi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 5

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 75-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 5

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 5

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 5

CAST

Did you know

Fuyumi Shiraishi and Eiko Masuyama and Nagai Ichirou carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 5

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Masayuki Akehi directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 75-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
245 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Fuyumi Shiraishi and Eiko Masuyama and Nagai Ichirou carry the top of the cast.
5Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.